Dr Niall Freeman sat in his wife’s hand. He looked up at her beautiful face. The last sixteen years had been much kinder to her than to him. She was now in her early forties and was starting to show some signs of aging. Not that Niall noticed or cared, she was still beautiful to him. She still had her creamy skin, thick dark hair and big beautiful eyes. Niall wasn’t sure exactly how old he was physiologically but judging by his thinning grey hair and aging skin he was somewhere in his mid to late fifties. Not bad for being 148 Earth years old. He’d worked hard to stay in shape and stay healthy. He wanted as many good years with his wife and daughter as possible.

They were sat in the front row of the graduation ceremony at their daughter’s school. Niall looked up to the podium on the stage where he was waiting for his daughter to step up and give her speech. Following her mother’s example she was graduating as valedictorian. Niall thought back over the ups and downs over the last decade or so as he waited for her.

Despite all the efforts by his friends and colleagues he still was not recognised as a citizen of The Empire. The Imperial Government were in process of reviewing the status of Humanity and so his appeal was on hold. In typical Titan fashion they were taking their time about it. To add insult to injury the clerks at the office of citizenship had refused to acknowledge that Niall was Sorcha’s father. This was despite all genetic evidence presented to them by Dr Selil. Her birth certificate was marked as “Father Unknown”. It left Niall feeling remarkably bitter at the time but he had eventually stopped caring. He was still her father and no one could take that from him.

Niall smiled as he saw his daughter rise from her seat and approach the podium. She had the look of her mother. Milky white skin, full red cheeks, huge blue eyes and thick raven hair though she had a slightly Irish look to her which Niall was quite pleased with. A twist of fate had somehow combined Niall’s tall genetics with Naskia’s Titan height. Sorcha stood a full head taller than her mother and in the holosuite she was almost as tall as Niall. Niall estimated that if she were Human she would be just under six feet tall.

She wore a long dark gown which looked especially elegant on her tall frame. She carried herself with an air of confidence and authority even the now famous Dr Naskia Freeman was unable to match. Sorcha stood tall and proud at the podium and surveyed the crowd of her fellow graduates and parents like she was a General surveying her troops. Her gaze lingered for a second as she smiled warmly at her parents. She was graduating two years early at the age of sixteen. Despite being two years younger than her classmates she appeared a lot older. Her Human genetics were causing her to age slightly faster than Titans her age and Niall would have estimated her at nineteen or twenty years old.

Sorcha smiled to herself as she felt slightly giddy. She had waited for this day for so long. She could have graduated years ago but the bureaucratic paper pushers at the local education authority would not let her leave any earlier than sixteen despite clearly being older. She continued to look over the crowd for a few more seconds to allow the audience to become a little impatient. If she had to wait to graduate then they could wait a little while for her to start talking. Just as the audience looked to be getting restless Sorcha began to speak.

“Every ending is a new beginning. I’ve heard these words said before many times but I’ve never truly understood them until now. I look around the hall here and I see friends, class mates and teachers. Faces I’ve grown up with, learnt to trust and rely on. Our lives here are safe and secure, watched over by teachers and following the same daily routine of classes, lunch, more classes and then exercise. It’s a very odd feeling to think that in the space of a day, the routine we have lived with for so many years is literally pulled out from us and we are unleashed on the world as citizens.”

Sorcha paused for a second to moisten her lips.

“It’s an exciting feeling, there are so many possibilities, so many opportunities, so many unexplored or unknown parts of the galaxy. You could be an explorer and push the frontiers of the Empire, or become a business person and try to carve out a fortune or perhaps just play it safe and get a nice quiet job in a clerk’s office. But it’s also quite scary. We’re leaving our homes and our school where we have been protected from the Universe and from our own mistakes. We need to start looking after ourselves, taking responsibility for what we do while at the same time trying to find our place in the big, wide Universe.”

Sorcha stopped and looked to the many familiar faces in the audience. Some were her friends and some were people she didn’t get along with. She’d found it hard to fit in with Titans her own age as she had always felt older and more mature than they were. Some people had even tried to exclude her for not being a full blooded Titan and she didn’t always handle it with calm head.

“Will I get lost out there? Will I make terrible mistakes? Will I get the job I want? Will I get my heart broken? Will I end up in the wrong place at the wrong time? What if I’m not as smart as I thought I was? We all have these doubts and we’ve all probably spent long hours thinking about them.”

Sorcha suppressed a smile. She didn’t have these doubts but she knew a lot of people would. She was supremely confident that whatever area of life she chose to apply herself she would excel. Her Human brain helped her soak up information like a sponge and allowed her to apply that knowledge quickly. She would easily out compete her Titan rivals. If only she knew what area she wanted to apply herself.

“It is customary to quote a renowned philosopher or a great leader from history in these speeches but I’m sure you are familiar with what they would have to say so I’ve decided to choose some alternative wisdom. As many of you are aware I am half Human, like us the Human species is on the verge of entering adulthood and leaving home to make its own way in the Universe. So I thought I would share with you some great words of wisdom that have come from great Human thinkers.”

Sorcha stopped as a few people mumbled. She knew quoting from Humans would upset some of her more prejudiced class mates but she didn’t care. They weren’t valedictorian. She was.

“Carpe Diem, it means seize the day. This has been a well-known Human saying for over 300 years. It’s about embracing life completely and living each day to its full potential. Sometimes we like peace, calm and solitude to think about where we are going or some challenge that is presented to us. But sometimes the best possible way to search for answers is to go out and live life and let the answers you seek find you instead. Solutions to the problems life throws at you aren’t always found in books or in wise words but are found in the company of others or the end of a path you had no intention of going down in the first place. Essentially what it means is don’t be blind to or afraid to take the unexpected paths life sometimes throws your way. ”

Her quote seemed to go over well with the crowd. It chimed well with the young audience who seemed just as eager as her to get out into the world.

“The next words of wisdom come from my father’s homeland in a place called Ireland on Earth. Fair words never fed a Friar. I find it suits us quite well. We Titans like to talk. We talk very well. We spend a great deal of time talking about every possible outcome for a situation before we decide to act. We are cautious in our nature even to the point of letting a bad situation get worse. We must never forget it is our duty as citizens of The Empire to always give aid where we can and never to let people get hurt due to our own inaction.”

Sorcha smiled proudly. “My Dad is particularly fond of saying that. Usually while waiting for my Mum to cook dinner. She really is the best cook on Archavia.”

The crowd chuckled a bit at the anecdote and Naskia blushed red at the attention.

“She’s not wrong…” Niall added looking up at his scarlet faced wife.

“I love my parents. Probably more than they will ever know. They are the two most loving, most patient, strongest and wisest people I know.” Sorcha said directly to them. “They have been through a lot of hardships in their time. Hardships that could have broken lesser people but somehow they got through it. My father was supposed to be nothing more than a pet but somehow he found the tenacity and the strength to prove that he is our equal in every way. My mother could have just ignored him but instead she showed wisdom and courage by standing by him and helping him. I only hope I can live up to their example.”

Sorcha stopped while she suppressed some emotion that was trying to claw its way to the surface.

“There’s a piece of music my Dad is particularly fond of from Earth. It’s one of my favourite songs. One of the lines from it offers some wisdom that is as true on Archavia as it is on Earth; you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you get what you need.”

Sorcha let her words sink in for a few seconds before deciding to wrap up.

“Students of Tannhauser High. Congratulations! And I wish you the best where ever life takes you.”

Sorcha leaned against the frame of the open double doors that separated the dining area and living area of her home. Both rooms were bustling with people who had come to wish her well and congratulate her for graduating. She looked around the room at the many faces; some familiar, some not so familiar. She could see her mother and father talking with Loona and pointing at a pad. Her father must be using his relatively new holo-box device that allowed him to interact in scale rather than just operate a projection. Sorcha rolled her eyes as she spotted her mother gushing over pictures of her from her early years.

Sorcha was tempted to bail and go for a quiet walk somewhere but she couldn’t really leave a party thrown in her honour. She was being bombarded by the same question over and over again from many different people. “What are you going to do with your life?” Even people she didn’t even know were coming up to her and asking about her plans for the future. She still had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She would develop an interest in a subject and spend weeks studying it and getting to grips with it before losing interest and moving on to the next one. It was starting to annoy her.

“Ow!” she moaned as she felt a fist impact in bare upper arm. She turned around, somewhat grumpy, and looked down at the smiling face of her uncle Aertimus. She quickly jabbed him in the upper arm wiping away his grin.

“Argh! That’s some punch you have on you kiddo.” Aertimus rubbed his upper arm trying to hide the fact he couldn’t feel it anymore.

Sorcha smiled quite pleased at the look of pain on her usually stalwart uncle’s face. “Don’t they teach you not to start fights you can’t win in The Fleet?” Sorcha folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow very reminiscent of her father’s own patronising look.

“Are you thinking of joining up?” Captain Bass shot back trying to move the subject on. Sorcha had a habit of talking big and he had no desire to knock his niece on her ass. Even if he did think she needed it from time to time.

“The Fleet? I hadn’t really considered it…” Sorcha mused.

“Well I hear you’re a pretty good pilot.” Aertimus said trying to coax her.

Sorcha laughed. “Yeah that’s just because Mum hates flying shuttles…and it’s not like Dad can see over the console so the second I was old enough I learned.”

“She likes to have her feet on the ground that one.” Aertimus chuckled. “You should give it some real thought. A girl like you; sharp, tough, a good pilot, very clever with a good head on your shoulders. You’d go far in the Imperial Fleet. I’d take you on as a junior officer any day.”

“HA! You just want to see me salute and call you Uncle Captain like I did when I was a kid.” Sorcha raised her brow.

Aertimus smiled up at his tall niece. She was by far the tallest member of the Bass family, it was rare any of them even made it to one unit tall but Sorcha had hit that years ago. She was fond of reminding him of it especially since he was the tough one. “Yes well that would be some nice revenge for all the short jokes but I honestly think you’d make a great officer.”

“Awww…thank you Uncle Captain…” Sorcha said giving her favourite uncle a loose hug.

Aertimus laughed. “You haven’t seen my wife around have you?”

“Ehhh no…she’s hard to spot. She’s shorter than you are somehow!” Sorcha said putting her hand level with her chest.

“Very funny kiddo. I best go look for her. Let me know if you want help applying to the Academy ok?” Aertimus said walking off in the direction of the garden.

“I will. Thanks Aerty…”

Sorcha sighed and returned to leaning back against the door frame wondering if she should follow Aertimus to the garden. A bit of fresh air might help to clear her head a bit. She glanced down towards the window to the garden where she could see more people talking who she had yet to speak to. If she ventured out she would probably be quickly mobbed by her aunts and well-wishers wanting to quiz her on her future. She was now actively contemplating grabbing her parent’s shuttle and flying to the nearest orbital dry dock to sign up to The Imperial Fleet.

“Don’t even think about it young lady…” a quiet male voice spoke.

Sorcha turned round to face her elderly grandfather. “Think about what?”

“Whatever it is you are contemplating. You have the look of your mother before she does something stupid.” Hussel said half joking, half serious.

Sorcha smiled and buried her face in her hands. “I have no idea what I’m thinking Granddad…I just don’t know what I want to do.”

“Well who says you have to do anything?” Hussel replied.

Sorcha looked up from her hands astonished. Her grandfather was the last person she expected to advise her to do nothing. She thought he’d want her going into Physics or some sort of scientific field at least. “What do you mean?” she asked curious.

“Take your own advice. You won’t find a path to walk lying at your door. Go out and find it!” Hussel said.

“But go where?” Sorcha threw her arms up in the air in despair.

Hussel shook his head. He thought his point would have been easier to pick up on. “Does it matter? Get out and see The Empire. Sign on to a ship as a cabin girl, you’ll get to travel and see all manner of worlds. It’s not glamorous but somehow I doubt that would matter to a young woman like you.”

Sorcha thought about the suggestion. It wasn’t a bad idea and she certainly had no better ideas. Time off planet, meeting new people, seeing new places could help her to make a decision or open up an opportunity for her she hadn’t considered. But she wanted to do more, something grand, something with meaning. She wasn’t sure if she was capable of being a lowly cabin girl. She looked around the room, avoiding the gaze of her grandfather and sighed.

“Go on…get out of here.” Hussel said sensing Sorcha’s anxiety.

“What?” Sorcha looked to him finally.

Hussel looked around making sure Naskia and Niall were nowhere near the front door. “You don’t want to be here. It’s just full of stuffy old types anyway. Go out and clear your head. Go find some friends and have some fun for a bit.”

“But…Mum…she’ll be mad.” Sorcha said looking over at her mother who was still buried in a photo book.

“Don’t you worry about your mother. I’ll take care of her.” Hussel smiled.

Sorcha wanted to leave and glanced towards the freedom of the front door. Her mother had gone to a lot of effort for this party. She’d laid on a huge spread and invited all sorts of important people for Sorcha to speak to and to make a good impression on. Naskia was very keen her daughter not waste any time and that she should dive straight in to the next part of her life. Sorcha did not want to disappoint her but she was still clueless about what to do. Something she’d not told her parents.

“I dunno Granddad…I think she’ll be really mad if I just left…” Sorcha glanced nervously over to the door again.

Hussel gently grasped Sorcha’s arm and started to lead her over towards the door. “When your mother was your age she was all work, work, work. It took time and a bit of work by your father but she learned. She shouldn’t make the same mistakes with you. Now go! Make a break for it while she’s distracted.”

Sorcha leaned in and kissed her grandfather on the cheek. “Thank you…” she whispered as she bolted for the door.

She turned and glanced at her mother and father as she rushed out the door. She heard a short feminine squeal which startled her and stopped her in her tracks. She felt something bump into her and looked round to see a woman steadying herself after being pushed back off the doorstep.

“Sorry…” Sorcha said to the short woman with deep purple hair. She was wearing a flowing, multi coloured gown made from a very fine, delicate material. It looked rather expensive. “I was kind of in a hurry…”

The woman dusted herself off and looked up at her. Sorcha was over a full head taller than her. “Wow…I remember the last time we met I could bounce you on my knee! You are just as beautiful as your mother, though clearly you don’t get your height from her.”

“I’m sorry…have we met before?” Sorcha asked somewhat puzzled by the woman.

“We have, several times in fact. I doubt you’d remember me though. I always send you a gift on your birthday though.” The woman said.

Sorcha’s eyes widened as she recognised the woman from pictures she’d seen. She was named as one of her guardians on her birth certificate but she didn’t ever remember ever meeting her. “Pryvani…Pryvani Tarsuss?”

Pryvani smiled up at her and nodded as Sorcha extended a hand for Pryvani to shake. Pryvani chose to ignore it and instead stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around Sorcha and embraced her.

“It’s so good to finally meet you. I would have visited more but my affairs keep me exceptionally busy and my home is very far away.” Pryvani said.

Sorcha wasn’t sure about the hug but she couldn’t very well be rude to someone who had always sent her such expensive presents. She was also partly responsible for her even existing.

“It’s good to meet you too. I had always hoped we’d meet one day. I’ve spent some time studying the business practices of the Tarsuss Corporation. Your knack for predicting the rise and fall of commodity prices is uncanny. You always seem to know what the next big thing is going to be.” Sorcha said trying to make an impression.

Pryvani flashed her charming smile and waved her hand as if to dismiss the compliment. “You are a student of economics then?”

“Not really. I have a good understanding of most topics. My Human brain helps me to learn quickly…but I also get distracted and bored quite easily.” Sorcha said trying to show off.

“That’s interesting to know, very interesting indeed.” Pryvani’s charming smile became one of curiosity. “So what are you doing rushing off out of your party?”

Sorcha sat on the doorstep and folded her arms, pulling them in tightly across her chest for comfort. “Trying to hide, people keep asking me what I’m going to do but I honestly have no idea!”

“Well you must have some sort of idea of what you’re looking for. You must have set certain…expectations for yourself.” Pryvani remarked quickly reading Sorcha’s level of ambition matched that of her parents.

“Yes…no…sort of…” Sorcha said still confused.

Pryvani sat down beside Sorcha, keen not to loom over the sitting girl. She could see she was frustrated and standing over her could be interpreted as a sign of aggression or condescension.

“Come on. You can tell me, I’m not going to judge you.”

Sorcha hummed and ha’d for a second as she decided whether she could trust this newcomer or not but her bottled frustrations got the better of her and she decided to spill anyway. “Have you met my parents?! My Dad is a famous genius and by all rights should have been a pet!” Sorcha spat the last part with bitterness clearly dripping from her lips. “And my mum…where to start with her?! She’d revolutionised telecommunications by the time she was thirty and her and my Dad doubled the range on your jump gates as if it was for fun. I know Physics pretty well and I can understand the theory behind it but how do you even begin to work that out?!”

“They are something aren’t they? Are you afraid you’re not going to be able to live up to them?” Pryvani asked.

“No…it’s just I know I’m smart, I just can’t seem to focus. I want to do something big with my life, something important, something that will matter to people and make a difference. If only I had ONE thing I was REALLY good at I could focus on that but there’s nothing really big enough that covers all the different areas I know.” Sorcha ranted, finally venting her frustrations.

A wry smile crept across Pryvani’s face as a plan hatched in her mind. She had kept close tabs on Sorcha growing up. Impressive test scores, excelled in numerous sports and was active in plenty of social clubs. She may not have kept in touch but Pryvani did care about her duty as Sorcha’s guardian. “I think I might have just the thing for you…”

Sorcha raised an eyebrow confused. “What do you mean?”

“Sorcha…” Pryvani said crossing one arm across her chest and stroking her chin with her other hand “I once offered your father a job…well I offered him it a lot more than once but he always turned me down. Did he tell you that?”

“No…” Sorcha said confused.

“Did your parents ever tell you about Avalon and Atlantis?” Pryvani asked.

“Ehhh…I don’t think so…”

Pryvani smiled. She would have thought Niall would have told his daughter about a city of Humans at least once given that she was half human.

“Sorcha…I came here to give you a graduation gift but I think I’d like to offer you a job instead. How would you like to come and work with me on Avalon?”

Sorcha’s look of confusion turned to one of intrigue. “What’s on Avalon?”

Pryvani took Sorcha’s larger hand in her own. “Oh you’ll see…you’ll see…”